I’ve been a part of one organization that thought it was pretty important to do Talent/Succession Reviews (sure every organization will tell you it’s important, but very few actually do anything about it really!) on a normal basis (that basis being twice per year -whether we wanted to do it or not!). That organization was Applebee’s – before IHOP bought them and gutted it like a homeowner prior to foreclosure – and we called them Calibration Meetings. We were a growing organization, so having an updated succession plan was critical for success. We thought we had a decent process, the meetings took way too long – usually all day, sometimes a day and half, and at the end we had a clear picture of where are top players were in their development, who needed our help, and who we needed to go out and shoot. Perfect.
Here’s what the Calibration Meetings taught me out Talent/Succession reviews:
1. Once you talk about an individual employee for 10 minutes – even the best employee turns into a pile of crap with a million flaws. Put a time limit on how long you spend on a person, focus on the positives they bring to the team (believe me that’s really hard to do).
2. You will find every reason a person shouldn’t be working for you – and you will still struggle to kick them off your bus.
3. If a person is ready for the next level, and you don’t make it happen – they will leave.
4. People appreciate being told where they stand in your succession plan, more than they appreciate the feedback from a performance review. (it’s really the best indicator of their true worth)
5. You must tell everyone where they stand in succession, even the bad ones, for it to really work.
Want some help getting your Talent/Succession Reviews started? – check this out:
Halogen is bringing in the team at Fistful of Talent for a quick, street smart webinar on how to bootstrap a talent review and get started with Succession Planning. Attend “Zombies, Grinders and Superstars: The FOT Talent/Succession Review”.
Register Today for the Wednesday June 20th webinar!